MilkCrate
"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
Oh snap ?
The Shaving Cadre
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The Dollar Store Razor Challenge
- Thread starter dkeester
- Start date
Oh snap ?
We could always ask Eric, he just sent you something didn't he?
He's not as hidden as he thinks.
I've got it too from pifing to him early on. If needed let me know
The TSC underground network at its best
You called me out Dave, I admit I'm not man enough for this razor
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
The TSC underground network at its best
You called me out Dave, I admit I'm not man enough for this razorNo way, the only way I'm even touching one of those things is if it magically appears in my mailbox. Shawn is right, I looked for PR AS in our local dollar stores and dollar generals and they don't have anything in the way of wet shaving stuff for some reason.
He pulled a Steve and *looked.
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
???
I would check around my way, but I don’t even think we have a Dollar Tree around here. I’ll have to *look tomorrow lol.
Wow...I take a couple of days off of the forum and I miss a Mordor forged imitation razor and blade that tortured Sean before flaming out, TJ walking around with his barn doors open, Chad's lopsided, Rich and Aaron dealing with door strikes and moustache whacks, a four cat safety shave, Jim's marathon....and Chris seems to think that everything is honkey dorey. (I personally think this is a reverse-psychology sadistic thing trying to get unassuming people to try this contraption)
With that being said...my first entry...
Brush: Paladin Jade Cleo 26mm Select Badger
Soap: Catie's Bubbles Luxury Shaving Soap "Tonsorium"
Razor: Assured 1$ razor
Blade: Assured SS (1)
Post: Alum, WH, A&E's Post Shave Serum infused with some Davidoff Cool Water EdT
Result: DFS-, little to no irritation or feedback...
Ok...so no video TODAY...but, I did do my first shave with the Assured razor that was kindly sent to me by Dave in KY so I could partake in the Dollar Tree razor challenge. So, I'm committed to three shaves with this bad boy razor and blade combo, all of which will be with Catie's Bubbles and various brush types. Today was the Paladin Jade Cleo, which is currently the brush with the most presence in my den. Got a very nice lather, albeit a little more on the airy side than I prefer, but not nearly as bad as the PAA soap from the previous few days.
Now, about this razor. It's about what you would expect, though the SS handle threw me for a loop. Of course, it's probably something like schedule 1 tubing that was used for it, so not all that heavy. The razor overall is very light. The doors do close, albeit they're a bit more loose than my vintage Gillette TTO's. The door's don't close exactly even, (again, to be expected), but can be fenagled to about where they should be. Looking at the razor holistically, there's something a little off...not sure if the head is on a little crooked, or something along those lines. It's almost an "Uncanny Valley" feel when looking at it.
Now, the blades. They come, VERY surprisingly, double wrapped. No glue marks on the blade either. I did notice a little indentation on the blade, likely from the machine that it was run through to hone and sharpen the blade before it was cut. No markings on the blade at all otherwise. Loading the blade was a little bit challenging, getting it to line up correctly so the blade exposure and gap on both sides were somewhat equal. What I did notice, however, is the blade angle was different on either side of the razor. This did mean that each time I flipped the razor, i had to find the angle all over again. So a lot of cap riding occurred during this shave.
Now, the shave it self went actually pretty smooth...(no, the blade wasn't smooth...but the shave went by without incident). I was able to do three full passes and had very little to no feedback from the alum. There WAS a bit of tugging/scraping from the blade when the angle got a little bit away from the top cap. I got the impression that the blade was NOT that sharp, and NOT that smooth. But if you stayed relatively close to riding the cap, it was actually a relatively comfortable shave. Results wise, I walked away DFS-, and I honestly didn't want to push for more; though in retrospect, I could have without much repercussion.
All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the blade/razor combo. I've left it loaded up for the next shave, where the only thing that will change is I'll be going to a different brush type. (likely a boar or synthetic). I'll likely do a very quick video tomorrow for the shave, then hold off on the third shave with it until next week sometime. IDK, I might just hold off and do the third shave video review when I do the review of Catie's Bubbles on Sunday. Playing it by ear at this point.
With that being said...my first entry...
Brush: Paladin Jade Cleo 26mm Select Badger
Soap: Catie's Bubbles Luxury Shaving Soap "Tonsorium"
Razor: Assured 1$ razor
Blade: Assured SS (1)
Post: Alum, WH, A&E's Post Shave Serum infused with some Davidoff Cool Water EdT
Result: DFS-, little to no irritation or feedback...
Ok...so no video TODAY...but, I did do my first shave with the Assured razor that was kindly sent to me by Dave in KY so I could partake in the Dollar Tree razor challenge. So, I'm committed to three shaves with this bad boy razor and blade combo, all of which will be with Catie's Bubbles and various brush types. Today was the Paladin Jade Cleo, which is currently the brush with the most presence in my den. Got a very nice lather, albeit a little more on the airy side than I prefer, but not nearly as bad as the PAA soap from the previous few days.
Now, about this razor. It's about what you would expect, though the SS handle threw me for a loop. Of course, it's probably something like schedule 1 tubing that was used for it, so not all that heavy. The razor overall is very light. The doors do close, albeit they're a bit more loose than my vintage Gillette TTO's. The door's don't close exactly even, (again, to be expected), but can be fenagled to about where they should be. Looking at the razor holistically, there's something a little off...not sure if the head is on a little crooked, or something along those lines. It's almost an "Uncanny Valley" feel when looking at it.
Now, the blades. They come, VERY surprisingly, double wrapped. No glue marks on the blade either. I did notice a little indentation on the blade, likely from the machine that it was run through to hone and sharpen the blade before it was cut. No markings on the blade at all otherwise. Loading the blade was a little bit challenging, getting it to line up correctly so the blade exposure and gap on both sides were somewhat equal. What I did notice, however, is the blade angle was different on either side of the razor. This did mean that each time I flipped the razor, i had to find the angle all over again. So a lot of cap riding occurred during this shave.
Now, the shave it self went actually pretty smooth...(no, the blade wasn't smooth...but the shave went by without incident). I was able to do three full passes and had very little to no feedback from the alum. There WAS a bit of tugging/scraping from the blade when the angle got a little bit away from the top cap. I got the impression that the blade was NOT that sharp, and NOT that smooth. But if you stayed relatively close to riding the cap, it was actually a relatively comfortable shave. Results wise, I walked away DFS-, and I honestly didn't want to push for more; though in retrospect, I could have without much repercussion.
All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the blade/razor combo. I've left it loaded up for the next shave, where the only thing that will change is I'll be going to a different brush type. (likely a boar or synthetic). I'll likely do a very quick video tomorrow for the shave, then hold off on the third shave with it until next week sometime. IDK, I might just hold off and do the third shave video review when I do the review of Catie's Bubbles on Sunday. Playing it by ear at this point.
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Good stuff Josh and hoping you find the right fit back home
LOL! Sounds like the opening of a Phillip Marlowe mystery! I’m glad you got a good shave and a bit of fun out of it. Good luck as you seek your new gig. ?
Looks like it worked pretty well Josh. Sounds like consistent blade gap is the most popular problem with this razor.
MilkCrate
"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
Shave #2 in the books. A snippet from my journal:
Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. The first pass was with the aggressive side and was an improvement from the day before. Smooth shave, lots of blade feel and audible feedback. Second and third passes with the mild side. No blade feel and very smooth, much like a vintage Tech. However, this razor feels lighter than a Tech. Overall an outstanding shave and I walked away BBS for the win! Nice ... very nice!
Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. The first pass was with the aggressive side and was an improvement from the day before. Smooth shave, lots of blade feel and audible feedback. Second and third passes with the mild side. No blade feel and very smooth, much like a vintage Tech. However, this razor feels lighter than a Tech. Overall an outstanding shave and I walked away BBS for the win! Nice ... very nice!
Razor: Assured TTO $1
Blade: Assured (2)
Soap/cream: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper
Brush: Paladin pk47
Aftershave1: Humphrey's Witch Hazel
Aftershave2: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper
The second shave actually went pretty well I got everything aligned properly. Found the good side of the blade and continued treating it like an SE. The Shave still had tugging and pulling but like Josh mentioned if you ride the cap you can get a decent result. All in all this is just okay. I really have no desire to use it though. But in a pinch I guess it is good to know if I can find a Dollar Tree I can use it.
Blade: Assured (2)
Soap/cream: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper
Brush: Paladin pk47
Aftershave1: Humphrey's Witch Hazel
Aftershave2: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper
The second shave actually went pretty well I got everything aligned properly. Found the good side of the blade and continued treating it like an SE. The Shave still had tugging and pulling but like Josh mentioned if you ride the cap you can get a decent result. All in all this is just okay. I really have no desire to use it though. But in a pinch I guess it is good to know if I can find a Dollar Tree I can use it.
Shave 2 with the Assured Razor and blade...(as posted in my journal)
Same set-up as yesterday aside from the brush, which was changed out for the Semogue 830 boar to see how Catie's Bubbles reacts to the different brush bristle. More on that in the review video on Sunday. Now, on to the razor and blade...*sigh*
Color me surprised, another 3-pass shave, ZERO irritation. Improved results this time, with a DFS the result. A little bit of tugging in a few spots, but comfortable for the most part. Nice shave, all things considered!
wait...WHAT!?!?!?!
I can't believe I typed the above...but it's the unbelievable truth. I got a nice DFS, no irritation shave this morning from the Assured. The razor/blade combo actually improved from yesterdays shave. COLOR ME SURPRISED. I really wanted a scraping skin off face, poltergeist story to write about. Blood on the walls. Battle scars that I can make up stories to tell my grandkids. I wanted the questioning looks from co-workers as I proudly walked into the office with freshly shorn red rivets of flesh torn into my visage. The shocked exclamation of SWMBO the first time video chatting afterwards..."WHAT THE FUDGE!?!" (we went Christmas Story, PG for this one) Call me a masochist, but it's what I was expecting. What I was looking forward to.
Nope. What a disappointment. Just a substandard razor that gives a shave that punches WELL above its price point. The shave is not as comfortable as a vintage Gillette Superspeed or Fatboy, (let alone a 'Crat), not as efficient either. BUT...for the price you pay, you might as well be shaving with a Karve razor. As a matter of fact, I'll say that the Karve razor does NOT give 30-100x better a shave than this does. (it will last at least 100x as long, however) There is quite a bit of blade feel, but ride the cap and that's negated and you can get a clean shave without drama. Now...with that being said...the build quality is SHOCKING. When I say shocking...I'm talking Roseanne singing the National Anthem, scratch your eyeballs out and stick ice-picks in your ears bad. I got the alignment issues good the other day and have been SCARRED to open it back up since. I'm handling it like I would handle the explosion-waiting-to-happen that is a sleeping infant or child when they're sleeping on part of you and you need to get up, or you need to move them. Walking on rice paper isn't as delicate a movement as manipulating the mechanics of this razor is.
I've got one more shave on this razor and blade. I might throw this blade in the Karve to see how it feels there. Chad, this might be 100 blade worthy.....
Same set-up as yesterday aside from the brush, which was changed out for the Semogue 830 boar to see how Catie's Bubbles reacts to the different brush bristle. More on that in the review video on Sunday. Now, on to the razor and blade...*sigh*
Color me surprised, another 3-pass shave, ZERO irritation. Improved results this time, with a DFS the result. A little bit of tugging in a few spots, but comfortable for the most part. Nice shave, all things considered!
wait...WHAT!?!?!?!
I can't believe I typed the above...but it's the unbelievable truth. I got a nice DFS, no irritation shave this morning from the Assured. The razor/blade combo actually improved from yesterdays shave. COLOR ME SURPRISED. I really wanted a scraping skin off face, poltergeist story to write about. Blood on the walls. Battle scars that I can make up stories to tell my grandkids. I wanted the questioning looks from co-workers as I proudly walked into the office with freshly shorn red rivets of flesh torn into my visage. The shocked exclamation of SWMBO the first time video chatting afterwards..."WHAT THE FUDGE!?!" (we went Christmas Story, PG for this one) Call me a masochist, but it's what I was expecting. What I was looking forward to.
Nope. What a disappointment. Just a substandard razor that gives a shave that punches WELL above its price point. The shave is not as comfortable as a vintage Gillette Superspeed or Fatboy, (let alone a 'Crat), not as efficient either. BUT...for the price you pay, you might as well be shaving with a Karve razor. As a matter of fact, I'll say that the Karve razor does NOT give 30-100x better a shave than this does. (it will last at least 100x as long, however) There is quite a bit of blade feel, but ride the cap and that's negated and you can get a clean shave without drama. Now...with that being said...the build quality is SHOCKING. When I say shocking...I'm talking Roseanne singing the National Anthem, scratch your eyeballs out and stick ice-picks in your ears bad. I got the alignment issues good the other day and have been SCARRED to open it back up since. I'm handling it like I would handle the explosion-waiting-to-happen that is a sleeping infant or child when they're sleeping on part of you and you need to get up, or you need to move them. Walking on rice paper isn't as delicate a movement as manipulating the mechanics of this razor is.
I've got one more shave on this razor and blade. I might throw this blade in the Karve to see how it feels there. Chad, this might be 100 blade worthy.....
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
100 blade worthy ?!? I was enjoying and believing you til that Josh ?
Razor: Assured TTO $1
Blade: Assured (3)
Soap/cream: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper
Brush: Envy Shave Ute Brush
Aftershave1: Humphrey's Witch Hazel
Aftershave2: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper
Blood blood blood!!! Yea these blades aren't made for 3 full shaves. OUCH!!! Geez that was bad. The razor is still holding up though. I got 3 nice cuts and irritation. The blades are trash. The razor is well a buck so there's that.
Blade: Assured (3)
Soap/cream: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper
Brush: Envy Shave Ute Brush
Aftershave1: Humphrey's Witch Hazel
Aftershave2: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper
Blood blood blood!!! Yea these blades aren't made for 3 full shaves. OUCH!!! Geez that was bad. The razor is still holding up though. I got 3 nice cuts and irritation. The blades are trash. The razor is well a buck so there's that.
No way...100 pack worthy!
MilkCrate
"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
Great review Josh! Here is a snippet from my journal.
“Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. I could tell by the audible feedback that the first pass was the aggresive side. The last 2 passes were the mild side, but I had no blade feel during the whole shave. Overall another outstanding shave, maybe even magical with the performance of the scents. I walked away with another BBS for the win! Oh yeah, it’s gonna be a great day.”
Yup, this one is punching above its price point.
“Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. I could tell by the audible feedback that the first pass was the aggresive side. The last 2 passes were the mild side, but I had no blade feel during the whole shave. Overall another outstanding shave, maybe even magical with the performance of the scents. I walked away with another BBS for the win! Oh yeah, it’s gonna be a great day.”
Yup, this one is punching above its price point.
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
If he did, it’d be fast to get it over with, not fast for the sake of trying to do it fast .
Sharp's
0
Josh, my experience was a similar journey to yours. I wouldn’t say it was enjoyable. But totally serviceable irritation free shave. Why are we spending all this cash on shaving?
The negative effect to my experience was some ingrown hairs. One bad one on my neck I still have to be careful of while shaving near it.
The negative effect to my experience was some ingrown hairs. One bad one on my neck I still have to be careful of while shaving near it.